Just following their own curiosity sparked a business idea for John and Connie Sorrie, of Westfield Farms, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.

They were considering where their rapeseed ended up after being taken off their farm in a lorry to a grain merchant.

They found that it went to industrial presses down south to be hot pressed into a product that was used in margarine and the processed food business, they decided to rise to the challenge and become the first in Scotland to cold press rapeseed oil.

“We thought we could do something more productive with it, and decided to use our own home grown rapeseed and cold press it into a healthy quality oil, that we could sell locally, branded Ola oil.” says John Sorrie.

Of course having the idea is easy, putting it into practice is the difficult part and it took around nine months to get the project off the ground. Timing was not ideal as they decided to start up the business just between the time that the Scottish Government funding ended and the SRDP funding began, so the project had to be self funded. They put up a new building and embarked on a huge learning curve.

“We had the raw material here, so we thought we ought to make the best use of it and that is exactly what we have done. Ola extra virgin cold pressed rapeseed oil is produced from our own single estate variety of rapeseed, which we carefully selected for its nutty taste and golden colour. We believe that if we like the flavour, then our customers will too.

“We both feel it is really important that our consumers understand the health benefits of cold pressed oil, as opposed to the hot pressed oil which is more widely available. People now understand that olive oil is a healthier alternative to some other products on the market, but here we are making a product that has less than half the saturated fat of olive oil, ten times the omega 3 content and a much higher smoke point.

“Hot pressed oils go through a very different process to ours. The only thing we do is gently press the rapeseed until the oil comes out, that is basically it, there is nothing added to it or taken away, it is a pure, healthy oil. Hot pressing involves adding chemicals (including hexane), to extract every last drop of oil, heating it to a very high temperature - which dramatically reduces the nutritional content - extracting the chemicals, bleaching it, and then deodorising it, which leaves a bland, tasteless oil,” adds John.

Initial approaches to local deli’s, butchers, restaurants, and attendances at farmers markets were enthusiastically received, with customers quick to appreciate the health benefits of using Ola cold pressed rapeseed oil.

After two years of Ola being well established in the market and with many celebrity chefs promoting the health benefits of this multi use oil an ever increasing number appreciate the qualities that Ola oil can bring to their cuisine.

Connie does all the marketing and although she had no experience in this field, she really enjoys going round the different premises and talking to her many regular customers as well as potential new stockists who like the idea of using a locally produced product which isn’t available in the major supermarkets.

Things have moved along quickly for Ola Oils, this christmas the demand for their oil was four times that of the christmas before. Now that they have extended their range into four infused oils - lemon, chilli, basil, garlic - which are suitable for different aspects of cooking, they can hardly catch up with themselves.

“It is really hard work, 7 days a week, for the both of us. Our family help with the farmers markets, and we have also recently gone into partnership with a local cafe which was using our oil as a base for salad dressing.

“Angus and Maggie Brown of The Steading Cafe, outside Elgin, were being asked by their customers if they could buy the salad dressing they were eating, and so we have got together and bottled it - the first one is balsamic and honey, we have another two in the development phase and these will be ready for market in early spring.

Output is going up, they are expanding their range and have doubled the area that they plant rapeseed on their farm. The climate in North east Scotland is particularly suitable for growing the crop as it favours long days of sunlight to mature the plant to bring out its flavour: it’s no wonder that they are winning awards for this healthy, fresh, home grown product.
Look out for Ola oil in a quality deli, near you. Check the website for their numerous stockists.

www.olaoils.co.uk